Moss filled lawn

Wenderlynn Bagnall

Posts: 73

Location: United Kingdom

posted 5 years ago

Hi I'm new.

I run a an organicgardening and domestic services business. The underlying principle to the business is to encourage people to reconnect or simply connect with nature and use environmentally friendly products both in the garden and home. I'm trying to persuade people to plant up a wild flower area in their garden but it's harder than ever. People don't understand about the connection with earth and so want bricked paving or patios or a few shrubs that are easy to manage.

one of my clients has a lawn that is completely covered in moss. He says he has used chemicals and it hasn't made a difference. The sol is chalky and I'm assuming, because of the moss, it is not free draining. btw I don't use artificial fertilisers or herbicides.

Can anyone give me advice on how to deal with chalk soil to begin with (I have some knowledge) and the moss?

Short answer to last question: lime, and lime wash (lime plus water). Most mosses need an acidic ph to thrive.

I have no experience with chalk soil, but if it were me - I would begin building soil by:
adding compost, carbon material + lime on top of what he has now, throw down new seed, do a ph test and keep adding what the new top soil asks for.

Let God and nature worry about the chalk.

Just my two cents, and straight forward way of dealing with things. I'm no expert but I've had a lot of great results fighting moss in the PNW. (could be luck *wink*)

Wenderlynn Bagnall

Posts: 73

Location: United Kingdom

posted 5 years ago

Thanks Jami. There is an area in the car park where I live that has moss too so I'll experiment with your suggestion in that area.

embrace the moss, turn the area into a japanese garden..it is likely extremelyh compacted and slow draining and maybe in the shade?? perfect japanese garden..if they want to use it for something else..likely raised beds will have to be put in or something done to break up the soil..soil tests also would be suggested

Brenda

Bloom where you are planted.
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Leila Rich

steward

Posts: 3999

Location: Wellington, New Zealand. Temperate, coastal, sandy, windy,

88

posted 5 years ago

1

Moss usually flourishes where it's damp, shady, poor-draining and acidic.
Your situation confuses me a bit, since I assume 'chalky' soil is pretty alkaline. Unless that means something different to you, of course. Where are you?
The drainage thing: I imagine it's more that the chalk soil would be poor-draining and compacted, so moss would thrive, rather than the other way round.
Have you or the client done a ph test, or are there plants you are familiar with, other than grass, that could indicate ph, compaction etc? Plants that form a a tap-root, such as dandelion, are often indicators that the soil is poorly drained and compacted, and some plants like buttercup and English daisy prefer acid soils.
If the lawn is on the shady side of the house, I second Brenda's suggestion: Something other than lawn. There's plenty of plants that do well in the shade and chipped-tree mulch looks very attractive if handled well.

John Polk

steward

Posts: 8019

Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane

289

posted 5 years ago

Zinc will kill moss. That is why you won't see moss on a galvanized roof. Perhaps adding some zinc to the soil is in order.

Kari Gunnlaugsson

pollinator

Posts: 308

8

posted 5 years ago

Brenda Groth wrote:embrace the moss, turn the area into a japanese garden..

..,plus one! exactly...i had a moss lawn, shallow poor rocky soil, acidic, shaded, conifer canopy...we learned to really love it...it doesn't wear, so we placed stepping stones for paths, and we created a few soil pockets to add some attractive native understory plants (ferns, fawn lily, shooting stars, etc..)... new rocks and logs grew nice coatings of moss surprisingly quickly too... and there were beautiful mushrooms..not everyone's ideal, but it can be pretty in a woodland kind of way

Speaking only for myself, I have no problem with moss per say I have it growing on my rock walls, but it doesn't make a thick or tough enough ground cover for my needs.
Maybe it would for other people. And where it grows in the grass it kills out the grasses and clovers, not good for my needs.

Ernie Wisner

gardener

Posts: 791

Location: Tonasket washington

31

posted 5 years ago

keep it and never mow again. some folks just dont know when they have a good thing going.
The soils will be acid and from your description i would bet there was a fire sometime in the past one place you are sure to find moss in large amounts is on a home fire site. often a complete burn that has been spread all over the lot when it was dozed to make way for new building.